S&P 500 and Dow Have Best Monthly Gains in a Year

US stocks posted their best monthly performance of the year, led by the Dow Jones Industrial Average with a gain of 7.1%. Within the S&P 500 sectors, industrial and material companies rose the most in July.

What follows is a summary of this week's statistics on the markets.

Historical July Performance

Dow Jones Industrial Average

• The Dow had its biggest monthly percent increase and best July percent gain since July 2009 when it rose 8.58%
• The Dow had its first monthly gain since April 2010, and finished up for the third consecutive July
• The Dow posted its longest July winning streak since 1995
• The Dow had the most July winning streaks in 1959 (a total of 11 positive Julys)
• Historically and on average July ranks as the second best month out of the year
• Since 1896, the Dow has managed gains in July 71 times including the current month

S&P 500

• The S&P had its biggest monthly percent increase and best July percent gain since July 2009 when it rose 7.41%
• The S&P had its first monthly gain since April 2010, and finished up for the second consecutive July
• The S&P posted its longest July winning streak since 2006
• The S&P had the most July winning streaks in 1959 (a total of 11 positive Julys)
• The S&P had the most July losing streaks in 1986 (a total of 6 negative Julys)
• Historically and on average July ranks as the best month out of the year
• Since 1928, the S&P has managed gains in July 47 times including the current month
  

NASDAQ Composite

• The NASDAQ had its biggest monthly percent increase since March 2010 when it rose 7.14%, and best July percent gain since July 2009 when it rose 7.82%
• The NASDAQ had its first monthly gain since 4/2010, and finished up for the third consecutive July
• The NASDAQ posted its longest July winning streak since 1995
• The NASDAQ had the most July winning streaks in 1980 & 1995 (a total of 5 positive Julys each streak)
• The NASDAQ had the most July losing streaks in 2002 (a total of 5 negative Julys)
• Historically and on average July ranks as the second worst month out of the year
• Since 1971, the NASDAQ has managed gains in July 20 times including the current month

S&P 500 Sectors

Ten out of ten sectors closed the month in positive territory, with material and industrial companies leading the way to the upside.

• CF Industries was the biggest percent gainer in the material sector, up 28% for the month
• Industrial stocks were helped by Expeditors International Washington, up 24% this month
• Year-to-date, six sectors are trading in the red, with health care and energy stocks down the most

More Weekly Stats Here

Commodity Impact:Crude oil for September delivery settled at $78.95 on Friday, up $3.32, or 4.39% for the month. Crude is up for the second month and five of the last six.

• Wheat futures were among the best performing commodities this month, up 38%, while gold futures were among the worst, down 5%

Currencies Impact: For the month, the NYBOT US Dollar Index dropped 5%, its worst monthly performance since December 2008, when it fell 6%.

Global Index Performance:

Note: Data based on preliminary numbers. May adjust slightly due to settling at close.

Comments? Suggestions? Send them to [e-mail]

Bythenumbers.cnbc.com